Wanda takes flag bearers to 2018 FIFA World Cup

Entertainment, property group inspires country's next soccer stars

While the 2018 FIFA World Cup is winning the hearts of billions of soccer fans on summer nights, its top-level sponsor Dalian Wanda Group Co Ltd is stepping up efforts to back the nation's sports industry in its own way.

As the only Chinese first-tier World Cup sponsor, the property and entertainment conglomerate had the privilege to take 384 children between the ages of 12 and 17 - among which over 200 are from China - to Russia. They are acting as flag bearers, carrying FIFA flags onto the pitch before each game during the 2018 World Cup.